Elliott saw relationship like Austen romance, court told

Clayton Weatherston told the court Sophie Elliott strongly affiliated with Miss Bennett. Photo / The Press, Pool

Sophie Elliott saw she and boyfriend Clayton Weatherston like the characters from Pride and Prejudice, the High Court has heard.

Weatherston today told the High Court at Christchurch how Miss Elliott wanted melodrama in her life and identified with the lives of fictional characters.

The former Otago University economics tutor, 33, is on trial for the murder of Miss Elliott, 22, on January 9 last year.

Weatherston admits he is guilty of manslaughter, but says he was provoked by Miss Elliott and lost control when he stabbed and cut her 216 times.

He told the court today that Miss Elliott saw the pair, when they were in a relationship in 2007, as Miss Bennet and Mr Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Miss Elliott talked about him like Colin Firth, the actor who played Mr Darcy in the BBC version of the story, Weatherston said.

She compared their stubbornness to the characters', and how Weatherston should act more like a gentleman.

"I think she fervently wanted to have an interesting life and part of that was engaging in a level of melodrama. Miss Bennet was one of the characters she strongly affiliated with....possibly Marilyn Monroe was a role model of hers as well."

Weatherston was yesterday accused by prosecutor Robin Bates of not taking responsibility for his actions.

Today Weatherston's lawyer, Judith Ablett-Kerr QC, asked Weatherston if he had taken responsibility for assaulting a previous girlfriend, whose name is suppressed.

Weatherston said he accepted it was "extremely serious" when he kicked the woman and jumped off a couch over her and clipped her head, pushing it into her knee.

Asked about his comment that the woman could have died, he said: "The reckless nature of jumping off the couch could have easily hyper-extended her spine".

The prosecution today withdrew from their suggestion that Weatherston took a pair of scissors as well as a knife with him when he killed Sophie Elliott.

Weatherston was asked questions in relation to this yesterday, but today Mr Bates told Weatherston that the Crown accepted that he did not take the scissors with him. Weatherston says Miss Elliott picked up the scissors and attacked him with them before he killed her.

Blood was found in the front pocket of Weatherston's laptop bag, where he had the knife. Weatherston said the blood may have got there after he was attacked by Miss Elliott and reached in to get the knife.